Name: Shaq H's review of This Is Why They Hate Us by Aaron H. Aceves
Item: This Is Why They Hate Us
Rating: 5
Author: Shaq H

Aaron H. Aceves

This fun, irreverent summer romp is Netflix’s Never Have I Ever meets What If It’s Us about a high school senior determined to get over his unrequited feelings for his best friend by getting under someone else. Enrique “Quique” Luna has one goal this summer—get over his crush on Saleem Kanazi by pursuing his other romantic prospects. Never mind that he’s only out to his best friend, Fabiola. Never mind that he has absolutely zero game. And definitely forget the fact that good and kind and, not to mention, beautiful Saleem is leaving LA for the summer to meet a girl his parents are trying to set him up with. Luckily, Quique’s prospects are each intriguing in their own ways. There’s stoner-jock Tyler Montana, who might be just as interested in Fabiola as he is in Quique; straitlaced senior class president, Ziggy Jackson; and Manny Zuniga, who keeps looking at Quique like he’s carne asada fresh off the grill. With all these choices, Quique is sure to forget about Saleem in no time. But as the summer heats up and his deep-seated fears and anxieties boil over, Quique soon realizes that getting over one guy by getting under a bunch of others may not have been the best laid plan and living his truth can come at a high cost.

This Is Why They Hate Us

Sam Skurka

There have always been moments... but they've never led to anything. They've just left me feeling stupidly optimistic."

Molly nods slowly and says wistfully, "The curse of the queers."

say it louder so people in the back can hear it

"So I'm kind of terrified that whoever I end up with is going to be determined by how other people see me."

"Right. And, like, biphobia in general sucks because it's not just someone else's way of thinking. It's... mine too. I don't always believe in it, but I've heard enough of it to, like..."

"Yeah, exactly! It's like this thing I learned about in my psych class called stereotype threat. You internalize an idea about yourself and it starts affecting how you act and you end up with a self-fulfilling prophecy. So I'm constantly doubting my attractions, my actual feelings. I'm gaslighting myself. Because the message I've gotten about guys who like guys and girls is that we're faking, that we couldn't possibly be attracted to girls if we're attracted to boys. Bi girls get the same thing, but for them it means they're perceived as straight and for us it means we're perceived as gay.

Let's say that because you were born Mexican, people assumed you wanted tres leches and pushed you to eat it, and you were like, 'Um, cake, okay, lovely. But then you realized you wanted tiramisu, too, and at first you did your best to ignore it because you knew you weren't supposed to and because, again, cake is amazing. But then when you accepted that you craved tiramisu and any dessert that isn't tiramisu, you started seeking out other people who liked the 'wrong' dessert. So then you found them and saw that throughout all of history they've existed, and not only that, they've, like, given up everything to eat tiramisu: They've been beaten, imprisoned, killed... All because the bride said you can only like tres leches. But a weird side effect of learning all that is that you can't help but think, Holy shit, tiramisu must be, like, the best thing ever. And even though you wish you were at a wedding where dessert selection wasn't such a contentious subject, that's not the case. And now there's so much... weight assigned to your desire for tiramisu. And it'll always have this extra decadence because it's forbidden, ya know?" Arturo doesn't say anything in response to my rant.

Middle School Saleem shook his head, picked up his finger, and pointed again.

Her face turned violently crimson, and she spoke quickly.

"Oh. Thank you, Saleem. So, everyone, it's silent reading time!"

Sixteen-year-old Saleem shook his head, smiled a sad smile.

"I was so humiliated. All the whispering that broke out after... I hurried back to my seat and spent the rest of class with my eyes on my book, but I wasn't reading."

I remember after I kissed Mariana I felt so... I don't know, free. Because the whole world didn't end because I kissed a girl. And liked it."

And now comes the feeling that only bisexual people are lucky enough to know the true horror of: wanting to make out with the person who's stealing the person you also want to make out with.

Because straight boys are not nice. They are not considerate. They don't do anything for you unless they want something.

It would be so much easier not to feel anything for anyone at all. The problem is I feel so much.

I stop a platonic distance away from him. Even though I'd love to, we don't hug or touch in any way. I saw him too recently for that. Despite how expertly and easily his entire being cracks though my hard shell, burrowing into the softest part of me, I have to pretend seeing him is an everyday occurrence. Which, yeah, it technically is during the school year, but I'll never get used to it.

"But isn't saying it that way internalized misogyny? Even though a vagina does not a woman make?"

"We both know it is. Which is why I feel comfortable saying it."

"Like how I call things gay in a derogatory way because we both know that queer stuff is better?"

The weird thing is I can feel my desires so intensely sometimes that they feel like needs, but in the moments when I'm actually faced with the objects of my desire, panic originating from deep inside my bones sets in.

Shaq H

This Is Why They Hate Us was a beautifully written book. It was funny, queer, and honestly really emotional. One minute I was laughing and the next I had tears running down my face. The narrator was perfect for this book. Their voice really brought these characters to life. (Also look at how beautiful the cover is with the bisexual flag colors!!!)

I had expected this to be some fluffy, queer book after hearing about it, but it got incredibly deep. However, it handled these topics with care. Not only does it handle mental health, but also bisexual erasure. There was a great deal of development for Quique. His understanding that love or the people you love will not cure mental illness was so important. Having a strong support system helps and I’m glad that Quique had such a lovely one.

Aceves wrote such a real and relatable book. Being bi in a religious Mexican household is incredibly scary. While you believe these people will love you unconditionally, you never really know. Quique’s parents were realistic. Overall, the whole cast of characters were amazing, especially Fabiola.

This Is Why They Hate Us offers wonderful representation for a range of things. It handled Enrique’s mental health journey incredibly well. I cried and laughed so much throughout this book. I feel like everyone needs to read this at least once.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the early listen. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
TW: Suicidal thoughts, intrusive thoughts, suicidal ideation, mental illness, homophobia, biphobia, cursing, Islamophobia, alcohol, underage drinking, mentions of mass shootings, and violence. (Might have missed some things that were just lightly brought up)

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This Is Why They Hate Us by Aaron H. Aceves

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